Sigh.

What I thought was a stuck pixel in my new Pismo 500 screen is actually a small 1pixel sized gouge in the surface. Aside from that, the screen's perfect (no dead pixels, even the one under the gouge). It's being sent back to Apple for repair to see if they'll cover it under warranty. I suspect that it either came that way, or that they keyboard thing is to blame, as I've _NEVER_ seen anything like this on a notebook screen before, they're pretty sturdy as far as this type of damage. Luckily, if Apple decides that it's accidental damage, American Express is going to cover the repair, so either way I'm ok. (Some Amex cards come with purchase protection against theft, accidental damage, and in some cases loss.)

Either way, I think I'm going to buy one of those bookmark things.

-Coyote

cyote,

I've heard of the keyboards making a mark on the screen (MacAddict even mentioned it in their review of the Wallstreet)... Where on the screen do do the keys hit? Upper right, lower left? I'd like to keep and eye open for this... Also, Macaddict recommended putting a thin sheet of something over the keyboard before closing to protect the screen... If it came down to that (which seems sort of dorky) or getting a dinged screen, I would start putting something on there...

Joe

I just cut up an old pillowcase to put over the keyboard when I close it. I'll report back about how it works. A friend also suggested putting a small stick-on rubber/plastic bit (like you get with IKEA furniture) on the area rimming the screen to help keep it above the keyboard when closed.

[ATP Tour Fan]

I know that in getting the Lombard/Pismo bodies as thin as they are, Apple had to literally close the gap between the keyboard and the TFT, but if there was one thing I'd HATE to damage on my 'Book, it'd be the TFT.

You'd think they'd make sure the keyboard did not touch the screen as long as it's properly seated. I'd rather have the 'Book be .2 inches thicker for the piece of mind that the screen is not rubbing against the keyboard whenever I close the machine.

[mattmarshall]

i don't understand all this complaining about the keynoard touching the screen......i have a pismo 400 mhz, and no such problem exists. i have not noticed one single indent on the screen surface. oh--not one dead pixel, either....it's great all around....

Same here. I've had my Pismo 400 for 4 days now and I've yet to notice any marks appearing on my screen or any dead pixels.

The one thing I have noticed is that it doesnt exactly close with a reasuring snap, its more like it just barely shuts, that might be because the keyboard is touching the screen, but, like I said, I havent seen any marks.

[maxintosh]

Apple says it's normal for the keyboard to touch the screen and says putting something in between could put extra pressure on the screen and keyboard, possibly damaging either one. It can leave marks which you can only see at some angles in bright light when the screen is off; however, these marks are just natural skin oils the keyboard transferred from the keys to the screen and can be wiped off easily.

maxintosh

P.S. My Pismo doesn't close with the reassuring *click* the Lombards did either, but it's definatly closed.

Well, just got off the phone with Apple.

Surprise Surprise, they're calling it accidental damage and aren't covering it.

On the bright side, American Express is. So as long as the repair's under $1000, which it should be, I'm good.

I'm just pissed because I'm pretty sure that the damage was caused by a piece of grit or something landing on the keyboard in just the wrong way such that it got sandwiched with the screen. Bugger. I wish they'd use a system like the Sony XG series that has a plastic sheet over the screen. Besides protecting the valuable LCD with a piece of replacable plastic, it also looks killer and can be replaced with a privacy screen.

Either way, if you have an American Express card that has the Purchase Protection insurance or any other card that does, I'd highly recommend using it to purchace your laptop. 90 days of accidental damage protection is a good thing, so have a look at the fine print on the credit cards before deciding which one to use.

-Coyote

I've had my Pismo for 5 days, and the screen marks are very obvious if you are sitting with light coming over your shoulder (like early morning through a window). I bet *every* Pismo gets these...the only reason you haven't noticed is was you weren't in the right light. My Wallstreet had a similar mark from the space bar that developed over time, and I couldn't wipe it off. but the pismo has marks not only from the space bar, but from about 15 keys as well!

Combine this with the clanky keyboard, vague latch mechanism, and flimsy feel of the top, all in all, I'm not thrilled with my Pismo. I liked my Wallstreet 266 much better. I knew I shoudln't have "upgraded"...oh well, live and learn.

Yep, I would agree about the Pismo keyboard.

I read three reviews about the Pismo, before buying it (one online, the other two in recent mags) and two of them stated the keyboard 'wasn't too good'. ie. it was a downer in the review.

I wouldn't say it was 'bad', but some of the keys, especially those on the top right of the keyboard, make a slight noise when depressed.

From what I had heard of Powerbook keyboards (this is my first Apple notebook), I had heard they had arguably the best keyboards on any notebook. I would disagree. My one year old Dell 3500 notebook has a far nicer keyboard :-/

[tooki]

Originally posted by maestrox:
I bet *every* Pismo gets these...the only reason you haven't noticed is was you weren't in the right light.

Nope. My Pismo has no marks on the screen, and I am very picky when it comes to the cleanliness of my screen. Or maybe it's just cuz I clean my screen often...

Either way, the marks are just skin oils and perhaps a few dead skin cells. This is how I clean LCDs: I use an old, repeatedly washed, unprinted t-shirt (or other garment made from t-shirt material), and if necessary I dampen it with either a few drops (!) of water or 100% alcohol (don't use rubbing alcohol from the drug store because they often contain camphor et al), or moistening it with my breath. It's better to use a light hand for a few more seconds than a heavy hand briefly.

Do not use paper towels, many are not soft enough, so much that they may scratch the LCD with time (I am a longtime eyeglass wearer, I learned these things the hard way... and LCDs are more delicate than glasses...).

And also, remember to wipe the keyboard regularly. That way the marks won't ever be made in the first place.


tooki

Originally posted by tooki:
Nope. My Pismo has no marks on the screen, and I am very picky when it comes to the cleanliness of my screen. Or maybe it's just cuz I clean my screen often...


tooki

Or maybe you jusst wash your hands more than I do....

Ok...you may have solved my screen gripe. Now do you have a fix for the clunky keyboard? My god, the amount of noise that the question mark key makes is amazing. Period key too...

[tooki]

Umm, I dunno. I agree that the keyboard could use a slightly tighter mount, to keep it from tapping the rest of the case and hence being noisy... oh well, maybe something can be done using foam as a kind of shim.

tooki

Opening the keyboard and reseating it about four times made my Pismo a lot quieter and nicer to type on. Worth a shot - it's about five minutes of your time.

I've got to go clean those marks off my screen now....

[Rocke Woelk]

No offence, but unless it was distilled water, I would never attempt to clean a powerbook with same. People, I had the same concerns until I was advised in a similar thread to try Kleenmaster's BRILLIANIZE�, which is an anti-static cleaner and polish for plastics and shining surfaces! Resists fingermarking, repels dust and is anti-static! This product is fabulous, SAFE and can even quite safely be applied to, and will PROTECT your TFT screens...

Make sure you use one of their special cleaning clothes or a CLEAN soft cotton T-shirt absent any stitching or seams.

Great for your glass TVs and CRTs as well not to mention those lovely G4 and G3 exterior plastic casings...

Your worries are over. ;=)

Rock

[rgruber]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rocke Woelk:
[B] People, I had the same concerns until I was advised in a similar thread to try Kleenmaster's BRILLIANIZE�, which is an anti-static cleaner and polish for plastics and shining surfaces!

Where do you get this stuff?

[Rocke Woelk]

My apologiesf you all, I didn't see the public query posted here until today...

I found "Kleenmaster Brillianize" locally here in Laguna Hills, CA at a shop that specializes in Plexiglass. Unfortunately, I have not seen it that widely distributed on the net, although, that might be more a function of improper keyword searching on my part.

I have found it here, however...
http://www.ecomplastics.com/ecomplastics/polishes.html

Good luck!

Rock

Been there...I found extensive markings after having the PB about a month. I checked with Apple, and the first question they asked was whether I had added memory. Seems that in some cases (according to Apple), memory is too thick to the point of forcing the keyboard to bow outward, making contact with the screen. The other possibility was that the keyboard wasn't seated correctly, and was raised above where it should be. All ended happily when I took it to my local Apple Service Center (Di-No Computers in Pasadena....very nice people there!). They told me the same thing, and were able to clean my screen with no problems.

They recommended that I use a product called KlearScreen to keep my screen clean. In my case it removes the marks, which still appear every couple weeks. I figure if I clean the screen once a week or so, I'll be fine.

[maxintosh]

I have a product called BrainWash by Concept Kitchen. I used to use it for my eMate but the box says I can use it on laptops too. Anyone know about this?

Maxintosh

[tooki]

Again, just a reminder: you can help keep the screen marks away by regularly scrubbing the keyboard itself, using a soft cloth (not a paper towel because it'll fall apart when rubbing it on the keyboard) with a little bit of Fantastik, Formula 409, or glass cleaner (sprayed on the cloth, of course).

Turn the machine completely off (so it won't wake up) so that you won't end up accidentally renaming Finder icons...

tooki

tooki

[maxintosh]

My only thought on this topic is that putting something between the keyboard and the screen would increase pressure, and that if the screen was pressing hard enough against the keys it would depress them. My other thought is trying to keep the screen from touching the keys at all could damage the latch or warp the screen. I would just assume clean the screen and keyboard once in a while.

Maxintosh

[Rocke Woelk]

Just an added caveat, if I may. If using water as a cleanser, I would suggest using DISTILLED water. Consider how when even a freshly cleaned window sprayed with tap water will appear to be spotty when left to dry.

Taking this to quite another level, I even use distilled water with the appropriate mixture of antifreeze in my vehicle's radiator. I haven't lost radiator in years since employing this practice.

Just a suggestion.

Rock

[MacNZ]

Hi there,

My dad got a new Pismo a few weeks back. The screen seemed to work fine for the first week but my dad didn't use the system much.

The next week when he took it to work he noticed what looked like a dead pixel. On closer inspection it is harder to tell whether it is this or a gouge in the screen as you say.

There must be something strange with these Pismo models doing this if he had hardly even used it let alone treat it roughly.

Good luck getting yours fixed.

As I said, I think that this is due to having a piece of grit on the keyboard and then closing the computer. Watch out if you have a cat, I suspect that it was probably a grain of cat litter in my case. If he has insurance or bought it on a credit card, see if you can get it repaired.

-Pat

[MadMacs]

When I got my Pismo, I took the piece of plastic covering that covered the LCD screen and folded it over itself so the sticky surface was sticking to itself and now, whenever I go anywhere I set it ontop of the keyboard. It's a lot cheaper than spending $30 or $40 for a piece of plastic with "BookMark" painted on it.

[Misha]

.... or you could just ignore the problem, seeing as you can't even tell that it exists when the screen is on. That's what I do...

[anly]

I found the CHEAPEST way is to use a piece of new nonwoven. I have tons of samples here cause we make/trade them. I'm sure you folks out there can get it.
*hopefully*

[wlonh]

anly, i for one would greatly appreciate it if you could be a bit more cryptic...

that statement i just made was sarcastic, of course.

now, would you care to elucidate further?

[This message has been edited by wlonh (edited 05-01-2000).]

Well, final update from me on this. I just got my check from American Express for the cost of my screen repair. The reason it took so long was really because I didn't send the paperwork in. It only took them about a week and a half to cut the check once I sent in the claim form. Case closed. (after cleaning the screen and the keyboard first, that is)

-Coyote